Tattooed
by Robert Modean
Summary: What happens when Angela shows up for work one Saturday and catches a glimpse of something that makes her question her sanity. After all, Dr Temperance Brennan would never get a tattoo…would she? Rated M for just the tiniest smidgen of smut.


**Disclaimer**: Unfortunately I don't own nor am I involved with the production of _Bones_. On the plus side, I work cheap so if Hart Hanson & Company are reading this - call me.

**Synopsis**: What happens when Angela shows up for work one Saturday and catches a glimpse of something on her best friend's posterior that makes her question her sanity. After all, Dr Temperance Brennan would never get a tattoo…would she?

_A/N: I have to give a shout out to blc for part of this. I was inspired by a scene from her epic fic, Serendipity (my favorite guilty pleasure), and then what really brought it all together was an incident the other day when I found myself standing in line at the liquor store listening to a couple of twenty-something's with tramp stamps discuss the intricacies of their love lives. So there you have it, is this OoC for Brennan? You bet it is, but that doesn't make it any less fun. _

**Tattooed**

* * *

_Soft grassed swayed gently about as a warm moist breeze kissed her neck and shoulders. Settling back into the mound of pillows beneath her, Brennan luxuriated in the feeling of the sun on her naked skin as the all encompassing heat of the day wrapped itself about her like a heavy blanket. The faint call of wild macaws was joined by a staccato rattling that felt like a foreign intrusion into her idyllic fantasy. The rattling became louder, more demanding, and the macaws fled taking with them the gently swaying grasses and the bright yellow sun above…_

Her eyes opened narrowly, sleep still weighing heavily upon her lids. Brennan saw the source of the offending clatter, her phone left on vibrate was doing just that and threatening to dance off the edge of the night table. Her arm flopped lazily toward the nightstand, a grasping hand barely caught the phone before it managed a swan dive to the floor. She glared at the screen for a moment, 7AM on a Saturday and she had to get to the lab. She had plans for lunch with Angela, she needed to get the latest authentication done and the paperwork filed, and she wanted to get back to her apartment to write a few chapters on her new book. All of that would only happen if she actually got out of bed, of course that was easier said than done, given her current sleeping arrangements.

A soft sigh, like air being gently released from a tire, escaped the mouth of the man behind her. Booth's breath was hot on her neck, and Brennan involuntarily snuggled back into him. The heat radiating off of her bed mate was intense, but not overwhelmingly so. Instead it was comforting, substantial, and like the arms wrapped around her waist it was protective. Booth's heat was protecting her from the chill of the apartment in the way that the thin sheet covering her couldn't, and suddenly she felt the need for more contact. Brennan snuggled back again, wiggling her backside against his hips and appreciating the feeling of his growing arousal against her thigh. The hand at her waist snaked down to the trace a path through the soft curls found at the join of her thighs, and she parted them instinctively making the journey easier for both of them. She gasped as the tips of his calloused fingers ghosted the crest of her mound and set the sensitive bundle of nerves there on fire. That sudden inrush of breath was joined by another when Booth's other hand moved to capture one of her breasts, kneading the flesh of the heavy globe with impressive skill even as his talented thumb manipulated and teased the nipple until it pebbled into impossible hardness.

Retaliation was pointless, she knew, but Brennan tried to regain some control and wiggled her hips even more until the heat of his arousal threatened to brand the skin of her thigh. Brennan reached back, between them, and let her hand trace the length of his growing member. It never ceased to amaze her how long and thick, how hard, he would get for her, only for her. She stroked him again and again, until the low groan of appreciation she elicited from him matched the moans and groans she found herself voicing as his fingers continued to tease her folds, worry her clitoris, dip ever so slightly into her wetness. She gasped again when his other hand moved on to the breast he'd formerly neglected, a yelp escaping her lips when he tweaked the unsuspecting nipple. Her only, and immediate, response was to rake the length of his shaft with her blunt nails.

"Ngh…Bones, do that again and I swear…"

"Swear what Booth? That you'll make love to me until you've rendered me practically incoherent from multiple orgasms? If that's a threat I'll take my chances." Brennan smiled to herself when she heard him gasp as the nails of her hand gently raked the glans.

"Booones!" The low, throaty growl spoken into the side of her neck made her blood quicken, heat pooling at her core, as he found a sweet spot at the join of her neck and planted a long, sucking kiss there, nipping the sensitive flesh as he did. "I swear Bones, keep this up and it won't be sweet love we make."

"N-No?" the hitch in her breathing came involuntarily as his fingers dipped again inside her folds and her walls fluttered in response. "T-Then what would we do Booth?"

"We nothing. Me? I. Will. Fuck. You. Raw." Each word was interrupted by a nip or a bite as Booth laved his way up the side of her neck and began worrying her jaw with lover's kisses. She raked the length of his shaft again, blunt fingernails pulling harder across the skin, her thumb massaging the sensitive circle behind the glans when she came to the end of him.

"Like I said Booth, if that's a threat…" Her voice thought was interrupted when he plunged a third finger into her wetness. They curled inside her, her walls convulsing around them as they found the sweet spot within. While his thick, calloused fingers worked their magic within her, the talented thumb of his gun hand found the crest of nerves and worried that button of flesh until the heat pooling at her core threatened to burn them both.

"Booooth" It was one word but pregnant with desire. She wanted him and she knew he wanted her too, but Booth wanted to make love and she was in no mood for a long, languid lovemaking session. She needed him now, fast and hard and raw,. Struggling to repress her impending orgasm, to retain some sense of control, Brennan managed to grasp his throbbing cock just below the head and squeeze hard, then harder. The convulsive shudder that ran through his body gave her the respite she needed. Finding her voice Brennan managed a squeaking challenge. "I s-said I'd take my ch-chances. What's wrong Booth? Not u-nng-up to the job?"

"I warned you Temperance." If the low throaty sound of her name being growled by her partner wasn't enough to strip her of all control, then the incredible feeling as he sheathed himself inside her fully, completing them in one long quick thrust, was.

"Ooh fuck…me…Booooth…" Brennan arched her back then, angling her hips and grinding herself back against Booth as he met her response with short, rapid thrusts. His fingers continued to massage the aching cluster of nerves at the crest of her mound and it wasn't long before the heat pooling at Brennan's core erupted. Her walls fluttered around him, clenching as he'd withdraw then grasping in welcome as he came back to her. One hand had grabbed onto the headboard for strength while the other found it's way down to his, joining his fingers in their ministrations of her clitoris, rubbing and circling the button of love even more urgently as her body pulsed in time with each wave of pleasure as it washed over her. The power of coherent speech was lost to her, all she could manage were a series of grunts and growling moans, punctuated by kittenish mewling sounds and the occasional "Seeley!" as her orgasm crested again, and again. She was barely aware of her surroundings, but acutely aware of his absence when he withdrew completely.

"Seeley!" Brennan gasped in protest until she felt his strong hands flip her onto her back and then, reaching down to grasp her calves, pull her legs up so they were resting on his shoulders. A faint smile crossed Brennan's lips as she looked into his eyes, so dark with desire that the normally soft chocolate brown was now nearly black. Realization dawned, she was going to get exactly what she wanted, what he promised, she was going to get it hard and fast and raw, and it would be everything she needed. Everything they both so desperately needed.

"Fuck me Booth, you promised…" He plunged into her, burying himself to the hilt until he found the end of her walls. They moaned in unison, groaned in unison, locking eyes she whimpered and he growled. "So…fucking…perfect" Booth's voice was thick with need, raw with emotion, "So…damned…beautiful" he withdrew slowly, the emptiness she felt as he pulled away made her body tremble with want. He came back to her a little faster and the heat within her, the heat that had pooled at her core and that had cooled a little from her earlier orgasm, roared to life, hotter than ever. Booth fell into a rhythm, pulling back slowly, coming back a little faster, each stroke just that much more than the other, filling her up but never fully joining them as he had with that first stroke. The tension within her mounted, the heat at her core threatened to burn it's way through them both again, and yet his promise to fuck her raw lay unfulfilled. Gathering what strength she had left, Brennan arched under him as he stroked into her again, this time she captured one of his nipples, latching onto the pebble of flesh with her teeth, licking, nipping, biting, and sucking at it as he picked up the pace. Brennan found Booth's eyes and she saw them glaze over, the barely restrained wild animal behind them. Her head ducked down as she latched onto the other nipple then, raking her teeth across the sensitive skin and biting and sucking until he gasped "Jesus Bones!" Brennan let loose of his nipple and stared into his eyes, with the last of her strength she taunted him. "You call that fucking?"

Something within Booth broke then, and his perfect rhythm came undone as he bucked into her hard, burying himself to the hilt in her and reaching the end of her walls again for only the second time since they'd started that morning. She felt the spike of heat within her as he filled her up, length for length, and stretched her out the way only he could. Her hands grasped his biceps, blunt nails digging into his well muscled flesh until she wasn't sure that they wouldn't leave half mooned scars, and her ankles locked behind his neck pulling at him, urging him on, faster, harder, now. "Christ Temperance…so…perfect" his throat growled at her as he joined them again and again, end to end, completely. "So beautiful…my…bones" Booth chanted as he accelerated his pace. His rhythm began to falter but Brennan was beyond caring. Her world had shrunk to the super heated core of her being, the joining of them together, the incredible sensations that flooded her nervous system; Booth's spicy scent mixed with the musky smell of their arousal, the way his eyes shone black with desire, the husky timbre of his voice as he called out her name, and the way her walls would flutter and grasp at the length of him as he returned to her again and again, completing them perfectly.

Brennan felt the tremors starting at the edge of her being and she fought against them, wanting his pleasure to come first for once. She locked eyes with him "Booth…more…faster…please" came her plaintive cry. His answering growl was all the assurance she needed until he bucked into her harder, picked up his pace faster, any sense of rhythm was lost in his urgency to return to her again and again. He was pistoning into her now, reducing her core to a slick, wet, molten center of pleasure as he hammered away at the end of her walls. She felt the length of him inside her, the pleasurable pressure building until she thought she'd explode, her walls reflexively grasping and fluttering around his cock as it continued to plunge within her. Needing his release, Brennan began grinding her hips against Booth as he'd return to her, grasping and pulling even more than before, her efforts were not to go unrewarded. She could feel him bunching within, gathering himself, everything she had left went into holding back until she was assured of his release. It broke from him suddenly, calling out "Oh God Temperance!" and "Fuck yes Bones!" Booth's hands fell from her calves and grasped haphazardly for the headrest as his hips bucked against her, spasming in time with his orgasm and flooding her with what felt like a gallon of his seed. Her own orgasm, held back until that point, broke free and washed over them both in a torrent. Grasping and clutching at him with abandon, Brennan barely managed a "Yes Seeley YES!!" as she felt the first orgasm crash down on her, but when his cock spasmed within her in response she felt a another orgasm rip free, crashing into the first that was still resonating within. The feeling of two in such rapid succession overwhelmed them both. Brennan's legs slipped free of Booth's shoulders as he collapsed slowly, carefully falling to one side, pulling her to rest half on top of him. Her cheek had come to rest on Booth's chest, Brennan's ear pressed against his heart she smiled at the reassuring sound beating beneath the skin. The thin sheen of sweat that covered them both threatened to seal them together, Brennan luxuriated at the feel of his hand running lazily through her damp hair while she drank in the heady and intoxicating scent of their efforts and basked in the heated afterglow of their love. It was several minutes before either of them spoke.

"My God Bones, that was…" Booth's voice broke and Brennan noted how thick and raw it still sounded.

"Amazing?" She could tell she was grinning like an idiot, and her own voice was just as low and husky as his.

"Well, yeah. I just, well, what got into you?" The fingers of his free hand intertwined with hers while his other hand continued to trace its way through her hair.

"You did, several times in fact Booth." Brennan smirked until she felt a sharp pinch on her ass. "Ow! What was that for?"

"Being a beautiful, frustrating, smart ass. Now mind telling me what's going on?" Booth's hand traced the skin of her back, raising a riot of gooseflesh as it went, before returning to her hair. "You're never this aggressive in the mornings, usually that's my job, or have you forgotten why you call me '_Rooster_'?"

"Mmm, because you're my '_Cocky-does it dandy_'? No, I haven't forgotten."

"That's '_cock-a-doodle dandy_' Bones."

"I beg to differ Booth." Brennan smiled into his chest as her hand slipped free from his and found it's way between his legs, cupping him briefly and running the length of his flaccid, but rapidly recovering, penis.

"Booones" Brennan couldn't help but giggle at the way his rumbling voice felt.

"Boooth. Seriously? I had this wonderful dream and when I woke up I needed you." Brennan's frankness was nothing new, but it still made her feel vulnerable to admit openly how much she needed him, more than she'd ever needed anyone before. "And I didn't have time for the usual."

"The usual?"

"Yeah, you know. The Seeley Booth special? Ninety minutes of intensive multi-orgasmic mind blowing sex complete with the full service foreplay package." Brennan snorted at his laughter. "After all, I have to get to the lab soon."

"Ugh. The lab? Why, I thought we were just getting started. After all, just because you didn't want the Seeley Booth special doesn't mean I don't want to give you one. Ow!"

Brennan had pinched his hip hard and took that moment of surprise to slip out of his arms and roll off the bed entirely.

"Uh-uh Booth, I'm going to the lab now, and then lunch with Angela." Brennan backed warily away from the bed as she watched her partner, friend, and lover roll onto his knees and begin stalking after her. "You do not get to make love to me until I'm a spineless, quivering, blob of goo."

"I don't?" Brennan scowled, his voice indicated that he was sure she was lying, and she wasn't so sure that she wasn't just then.

"N-No! Lab. Angela. Lunch." Brennan was near panicking when she saw him agilely slip from the bed and move to cut off her escape from the room. Inspiration struck. "Besides Seeley, you've got Parker today. So we'll have to wait until tonight…"

"Tonight?" Brennan smiled. Seeley had gotten his attention, Parker held it, now he was confused.

"Yes, tonight. Parker has that birthday party, he'll be gone at least three hours, we can get in two Seeley Specials if we try."

Brennan barely had time to yelp in surprise as he closed the space between them so quickly that it seemed a blur. She felt his weight crushing her up against the wall, saw his eyes go dark with desire again, and felt his lips come crashing down on hers. He pulled at her lower lip until her mouth parted and his tongue could gain purchase in her mouth. The kiss deepened between them and Brennan found her fingers flexing, grasping the skin of his shoulders and digging into his deltoids. When they broke for air she was gasping, looking wide-eyed at him with growing arousal. His answering smirk and the sound of laughter shook Brennan from her reverie. He pushed back from the wall and a frustrated Brennan uncoiled on him.

"You asshole!" Brennan hit him with balled up fists, venting her growing sexual frustration at being toyed with. "Just for that when I get back tonight there won't be even one Seeley Booth Special, let alone two."

"Oh I don't know about that Temperance." It took less than a heartbeat for Booth to close the gap between them again and take her breath away as he held her in place against the wall using only his chest, his hands coming to rest on either side of her head, boxing her in. "Keep teasing me Bones, and when Parker's at the birthday party tonight? Well I may just decide that I've got nothing better to do but spend three entire hours seeing just how wound up I can get you. We both know how that will play out now, don't we?"

Backing away from her just as quickly Brennan suddenly felt unbalanced and found herself stumbling forward. She'd no sooner regained her footing when the sharp sting of a large meaty hand played across the top of her ass, making her jump and yelp at the same time.

"Better get in the shower sweet cheeks, I'll put on the coffee. After all it wouldn't do for you to be stumbling about the lab all morning would it?"

Brennan walked unsteadily toward the shower with Booth's rumbling laugh ringing in her ears. It was just now 8AM, she would be at least a half an hour late to the lab but all in all things worked out well. If she hadn't provoked him the way she had this morning they'd still be going at it, probably up to round two by now, and he was always good for at least three rounds before needing to take a break himself, of course by then she was usually ready to pass out. Brennan sighed with relief as the hot water cascaded over her. One day she'd finally give in and tell Angela how good a lover Booth really was, and what making love with him was like. She knew her friend considered herself to be something of an aficionado on the subject, and Brennan had seen the video of her and Hodgins in the Egyptian exhibit, quite nice she had to admit, but nothing came close to what she had with Booth. She doubted her friend would really understand, she wasn't sure she did herself

*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*

Brennan could hear Angela moving about in the lab, music from her office radio drifting quietly across the vast empty space. Making her way to her own office, Brennan intended to drop off her things before starting work on the remains the interns should already have set up for her to authenticate. It was unfortunate happenstance that the otherwise skilled and observant forensic anthropologist chose the precise moment that she'd set down her purse to become distracted by a note left on her chair. She released the purse straps and had half turned to look at the note when she heard a crashing noise. Brennan turned to see her purse supine on the floor, it's contents scattered across her office. A frustrated sigh escaped her lips and Brennan fell to all fours and immediately began retrieving her fallen property.

What she failed to realize was that the clothes she'd chosen that day were slightly more casual than were customary for the lab, being more in keeping with the luncheon she'd planned with Angela. So it was that the aforementioned friend found her on the floor, a cream colored silk tank top having ridden up to reveal a fair expanse of bare back and navy blue capri pants riding lower than normal on her hips revealing the top of her thong and the telltale traces of a tattoo just above the waistline. Angela stood in the doorway, taking in the scene before her, not entirely believing what she thought she saw and wracking her mind for a logical explanation and yet when none was forthcoming, she had to ask.

"Bren? Sweetie? Are my eyes deceiving me, or is that a tattoo on your ass?"

Brennan hastened to stand up then, grabbing the edge of her desk and vaulting gracefully from the floor. As impressive as it was, the flutter of her silk top and the way her pants hugged her hips, actually made it easier for Angela to see the tattoo.

"Of course not Angela." Brennan attempted to surreptitiously pull her shirt down to cover the exposed flesh at the small of her back but to no avail. Angela simply stepped forward and plucked at the material, exposing the secret once and for all. "It's actually located just above the sacrum."

Angela released the hem of the blouse and stared. Brennan's matter-of-fact tone made Angela's head spin. With quiet determination she managed not to grab her friend and begin shaking her, and instead asked her next question in the same measured tone as before.

"Alright, what does the tattoo on you're a-at the small of your back, located just above your sacrum," Angela struggled to maintain her composure. "what does _that_ tattoo say?"

"I'd rather not share that with you Angela." Brennan's caught Angela's eyes with her own pleading stare but saw a steely resolve there that she knew wasn't going away. She sighed. "_Property of Seeley Booth_"

Angela choked on her response and found herself doubled over, coughing and gasping for breath. Her distress triggered Brennan's own

"I'm sorry, but '_Property_'? Who are you and what the hell have you done with Temperance Brennan?" Brennan found herself taken aback by Angela's agitated manner.

"Actually it's not as bad as all that Ange, I mean it could have been much, much worse."

"How could it have been worse? Honey, not only did he convince you to get a tattoo – and not just a tattoo but a 'tramp stamp' – a freakin' tramp stamp tattoo of his name with the words '_Property Of_' in the tattoo! Honestly, I'm looking for worse and I'm just not seeing it."

"Well I only have to wear it for five years or until certain, um, conditions are met and then he'll pay to have it removed. That's if I want to get it removed. Really he's being very generous."

"How is that better? How is he being generous? And what the hell do you mean by _if you want_ to get it removed?" Angela was practically shouting now. "You're Temperance freakin' Brennan for cryin' out loud. You don't believe in marriage because it would make you some man's property but you'd let him talk you into getting a tattoo that literally states _you are_ his property? It's a tattoo Bren, he's literally branded you as his property. I mean, I love Booth and all but this is beyond alpha-male. Seriously, the sex cannot be that good."

"Honestly Angela, I can't speak to your experience." Brennan noted the change in Angela's demeanor and continued hastily. "I mean, although I experimented in college a little I was never in a long term relationship with another woman so I'd have no means of gauging how a sexual relationship with one would compare to what I have with Booth. Not that I actively compare my past sexual liaisons with men, or women for that matter, with what I have in Booth…"

"Bren, you're rambling." An exasperated Angela glared. "Spill."

"Angela, it's beyond good, beyond mind-blowing. It's not just the best sex I've ever had, it's…" Brennan struggled trying to find the right words then leaned back against the railing and said with the utmost conviction, "it's the best anything I've ever had or ever done for that matter."

The rapturous look on her friends face knocked the wind out of Angela quite literally. Leaning back against the exam table with an audible huff it took her a few seconds to realize that her friend was still waxing poetic about the sexual strengths and love making expertise of one Seeley Booth, who was apparently a special agent for all the right reasons.

"You can't seriously tell me you're going to keep it."

"I am, and I will. Honestly Angela I don't understand your problem with it. You have several tattoos yourself, the artwork on this one is simple and understated but the script is elegant and I think quite becoming. Besides as I've said, Booth is really being quite generous, he could have demanded so much more from me and this was all he asked for up front and the terms were quite lenient."

"Demanded? Terms? Listen to yourself? You've got Denmark syndrome or something."

"You mean Stockholm and no, I don't. I made this decision of my own free will Angela, it just happens to be in agreement with something Seeley asked for, that's all."

"Okay, dish. I'll take your word for it that he's a complete dynamo in the sack and practically wrote the manual on how to please a woman. Hell the fact that you're sporting his name on your ass is proof enough that he's got some mad skills honey, but this is still so unlike you. I have to know what could possibly have possessed you to get Seeley Booth's name tattooed on your ass."

Brennan sighed and then sat back heavily in her office chair, resting her elbows on arms of her chair her fingers steepled in front of her. She sat in quiet contemplation for several seconds, it was obvious to Angela that whatever she was getting ready to say wasn't going to be easy for her. Finally she spoke.

"Do you recall when Booth was called away on that undercover operation?"

"What like five months ago? Sure, that was the worst six weeks I can remember. He was gone and you were miserable, and you were making all of us miserable. It was a miserable time all around."

"Right, and you remember what it was like when he got back?"

"Yeah, you were on cloud nine sweetie. I mean, we didn't have a case for like two weeks and I don't think we saw either of you the entire time, but when you came back you were both acting all sickeningly sweet and after that weekend you couldn't walk straight for a few days. So that's when it happened? The whole tattoo thing?"

"Yes and no. Those two weeks after he got back, when you saw us I was deliriously happy to have him back, not just because he came back to me but because it forced me to admit that I loved him, not just that but I was _in love_ with him. That I needed him in my life." Brennan let out a breath. "But Ange, those two weeks, or rather the ten days from when he first came back until that weekend before you saw us again? Booth didn't touch me, not once, and I came close to losing him forever."

"But Bren, sweetie, when you came back to work you were hobbling. I mean I'm no forensic anthropologist but I know the 'love walk' when I see it and you had the love walk honey."

"Then I did, yes. But that weekend was the exception, not the rule." Brennan looked at Angela, her eyes never quite meeting her friends. "I swear Ange, those first ten days back he wouldn't touch me, he hardly looked at me, he barely talked to me and I didn't blame him then. I still don't. I betrayed him Angela, I betrayed his trust."

"No, I don't believe it. You would never betray Booth, you love Booth, he's the one." Angela saw the look on her friends face and she knew, she knew that Brennan had done something. Leaning forward Angela fixed her friend with a hard look. "What did you do Brennan?"

"He'd been gone six weeks, he hadn't called, hadn't written me, he'd promised me Ange, promised he'd find a way to keep in touch but there was nothing. I-I didn't know when he was coming back…if he was coming back." Brennan's voice started to drift, when she felt Angela's hand touch her arm she snapped back to attention. "Undercover work is dangerous Ange, much more dangerous than anything we do in the field together. There's no back up, no one to save him if he's hurt, he has his handler and that's all. I didn't hear from him for six weeks, then they told me he...he wasn't coming back."

"What? What happened? How? I mean who could do that and why?"

"Santana. Furst. Sully." Brennan shook her head sadly. "A conspiracy of dunces."

Angela snorted at the comment but sobered when she saw the tortured look in Brennan's face. She gave her friend's arm a reassuring squeeze and smile sweetly at her.

"Go ahead hon, when you're ready." Brennan took a deep breath and then turned to her friend, a wan smile on her face as she began her story.

"It all goes back to our second year as partners really. Booth was the rising star of the Hoover because of our work together, his closure and case conviction rates where well above those of any other SA at the FBI which made him Cullen's fair skinned lad."

"Fair haired boy sweetie, go on." Brennan rolled her eyes and continued.

"Anyway, Santana was never more than a mediocre SA to begin with, he had a short temper and poor administrative skills, not exactly things that endeared him to Sam. So when it came time to find a new SA to promote to SAC for the Major Crimes Unit, he picked Booth over Santana."

"So Booth got promoted over Santana and was made SAC of Major Crimes for DC, I remember the promotion party. So what then? I mean that happened years ago."

"Yes, but that was the start of it all. Once Cullen picked Booth, Santana had no choice but to take a lateral move to Counter Terrorism."

"Why?"

"Policy. When two agents are up for promotion within the same unit, if the one with seniority doesn't receive the promotion the Bureau encourages them to transfer to another unit. According to Booth they find it increases unit cohesion and reduces negative internal dynamics."

"No one walking around doing the '_if I was in charge_' thing huh? That makes sense."

"Yes, it does. Of course it meant that Santana couldn't stay at the MCU so he went to Counter Terrorism."

"And Booth's undercover assignment was working with Counter Terrorism?" Brennan nodded. "But why? I mean Booth's an SAC now right? Isn't it weird that they'd have someone in charge of a whole unit doing undercover work for someone else? And wouldn't that be a violation of the whole rule thingy?"

"Normally you're right Ange, they wouldn't have asked Seeley to do it but he's the exception to the rule in a lot of ways." Brennan's smile of pride brought out a corresponding grin from Angela. "Booth's security clearance is still actually quite high, I'm not sure how high but I think it's higher than Sam's even, and he has the necessary skill set as a former Ranger and sniper, so he was one of the few qualified for the job."

"Alright, so Booth really is Mr Special Agent, I get that, and he goes undercover at the CTU with Santana as his Boss. So what, Santana intentionally withheld contact from you?" Brennan nodded. "Okay, I guess I'm missing something Bren. What you described so far, it isn't fair but it's hardly your fault. So want to tell me the rest of the story?"

"It's not that simple Angela. Santana was at the CTU and he'd worked his way up to SAC. Andrew Furst moved over to the CTU just after the Cleo Eller case, and he'd had an issue with both Booth and myself since we'd embarrassed him by solving Cleo's murder just an hour after his 'special task force' was announced. Furst and Sully were always good friends, and Sully, well Sully never really got over the fact that I picked Booth over him."

Brennan rubbed her furrowed brow, as if she was trying to rub away the painful memories. Angela placed a comforting hand on her friends shoulder and waited patiently for her to continue.

"In the beginning Furst just ran interference between Booth and Santana, while Santana made sure that any and all communications for Booth ran through him. That way Furst was able to honestly tell Booth that he'd never received so much as a text message from me about him. Booth wrote me and left me voicemails, but Furst made sure everything went to Santana who never delivered the letters, and who made sure to block anyone else at the Hoover from accessing the voicemails. No one outside of those three knew what was going on Ange, and then Sully came around about three weeks into Booth's mission."

"I remember that slimy bastard coming here, looking for you. He was bad news Bren, I should have told him to leave you alone the first time I saw him back here."

"It's not your fault Angela. It all comes back to me. I sure can pick 'em can't I?"

"Sweetie, c'mon…you picked Booth didn't you?"

"No, not really. Booth picked me, he pursued me Angela. I stayed because of him, but only because he showed up there, at the docks, looking for me. If he hadn't been there I…I don't know that I would have stayed."

"You would have sweetie, you know you would have because Booth is the one." Angela patted her friends knee and smiled. "So Furst and Santana conspired to keep you and Booth from talking while he's undercover, and Sully comes around after three weeks and starts getting inappropriately friendly."

"Yeah, you remember that don't you?"

"Well I remember telling you not to go out drinking with him even as a friend, because exes don't make good drinking buddies when you're feeling vulnerable. I'm guessing you didn't listen to me?"

"I didn't listen to you." Brennan smiled sadly. "He spent three weeks telling me everything I didn't want to hear, that Booth was going to be under for months, that his cover required him to sleep with other women, that he never really loved me because if he did he'd have found a way to talk to me. He brought up Booth's death."

"God I hate that Sonofabitch."

"Don't Angela. Sully isn't worth it, besides I-I never really talked with Booth about how that affected me. If I had maybe things would have been different. Anyhow Sully knew what buttons to push, and he pushed them hard. When Santana called and told me Booth was dead…"

"Oh. My. God. He didn't!" Angela was aghast but Brennan simply nodded.

"I went out and got drunk Angela, I mean really, really drunk. Sully came with me as a 'friend', but he just made sure I drank even more. When I couldn't take anymore Sully drove me home and, and I saw Booth's favorite t-shirt on the couch. I'd been wearing it every night just to have him close to me and that's when it hit me - he was gone. I broke down, started crying, Sully started to 'comfort' me." Brennan had a forlorn look on her face then. "Booth walked in and we were on the couch, naked, Sully was…Oh God Angela, I was such a fool. Booth's face, you should have seen his face. I don't think I've ever seen him more hurt, or more angry, in my life. I betrayed him Ange, I betrayed him." Brennan sat still, a few errant tears tracing the contours of her cheeks as she relived the memories of that night.

"Bren, listen to me – what happened is not your fault, okay? You were setup, it was a setup and those bastards were just out to ruin you and Booth. You didn't do anything wrong."

"Really Angela? You kept saying Booth was the one, and I for once I agree, he was, is, the one. He's the one for me, the one man I trust, the one man I truly love. So tell me this Angela, what kind of person finds out their one true love is dead and falls into the arms of another man the same day?" Brennan's cold eyes flashed with pain then. "I betrayed him. I betrayed him because as much as I loved him then I'd never, ever, given myself fully to him. I always held something back, to try and protect myself. Funny thing is, instead of protecting myself all I succeeded in doing was hurting us both."

"So what happened, with Booth and Sully, Furst, Santana, how did you guys resolve everything, fix it?"

"Well, first I tried to tell Booth how sorry I was and he just ignored me. Sully made the mistake of smirking and telling him that I was 'easy pickings', so Booth, well you know Booth."

"I bet. No wonder Sully suddenly became scarce. Where's the body buried, or do I really want to know?" Angela smiled.

"Nothing quite like that. There was an altercation, Booth placed a beating up on him…"

"it's laid a beat down sweetie, and I bet he did."

"He did actually, quite a severe one. Of course assuming Sully keeps to the rehab schedule the doctor's set for him, he should be fully ambulatory by the end of the month." Brennan's smile was coldly satisfied. "Anyway after the EMT's took Sully away the police arrested Booth for aggravated assault. I had to call Cullen and tell him, well I had to tell him everything. Cullen got Booth out of jail, quashed the assault charges and had Sully arrested as part of a criminal conspiracy involving interference with an active FBI investigation."

"No shit." The feral gleam in Angela's eye matched Brennan's own. "And what happened to Furst and Santana?"

"Furst and Santana went before the disciplinary board, Furst was demoted and reassigned to the Anchorage office and Santana was fired." Brennan smiled grimly. "Twenty-three years with the Bureau and he lost his pension, everything."

"So everyone got what they deserved." Angela nodded to Brennan.

"Everyone but Booth." Brennan's expression was pained. "All he got was a girlfriend who betrayed his trust."

"Bren, that's not true. Okay, sure you're judgment was seriously flawed but sweetie it wasn't all your fault. Sully knew how insecure you were about the men in your life walking out on you, he knew how to push those abandonment buttons, Booth can't blame you for that."

"Why not Ange? I'd known Booth a hell of a lot longer than anyone else I've ever dated. He's proven to me time and again he'll never leave me, never betray me, always be there when I need him. I shouldn't have any 'abandonment' issues when it comes to him, but that didn't stop Sully from pushing us apart did it?" Brennan spat those last words at her friend. "Sully was only able to push my buttons because I let him. Because I never really trusted Booth, not the way I should have. I betrayed him and he deserved better. Booth deserved someone who would be loyal and true to his love, he deserved more than what I gave him Ange."

"But honey when the truth came out…"

"It didn't change the fact that I slept with Sully the same day I found out Booth was dead. It didn't change the fact that I never committed myself fully to our relationship, that I always held something back when Booth was always 100 percent in, heart and all. No Angela, Booth deserved better. It took me two weeks to figure it out, to get him back, all I had to do was to show him I was just as committed to us as he was."

"So the tattoo…"

"The tattoo, among other things, but yeah it was mostly the tattoo."

"Okay, what were the other things?"

"Well first I told him what I knew about how I'd screwed up and after a lot of begging…" Brennan saw the quixotic look on her friend's face. "I mean that too Ange, I begged him to take me back. Anyway I explained what I wanted to do, to fix things, you know get the tattoo. We, we talked about it, we talked about it a lot, and I explained why, why I thought it would be different from then on, how I was now all the way in, body and soul, heart and mind, all his and only his." Brennan paused, licking her lips to wet them as if remembering something particularly exciting. "You know for him it had been two months since we'd had any intimacy…his, um, reaction to my idea was uh, very encouraging."

"How encouraging is very encouraging Brennan? You guys had sex, right? I mean real honest to God, shout from the mountaintops, make-up sex didn't you?"

"We broke the laws of physics Angela, and not just once or twice."

"You know I have to ask sweetie."

"The first night, seven times." Angela noticed the blush rising in her friend as she started reminiscing about that night. "Oh my God Ange the things he can do, he's…it's not just that he's big, I mean he's big, biiig, but his hands, his mouth… He has the most talented mouth…"

"Good Lord Bren!"

"Seriously Angela, you know I'm experienced. I mean before Booth I'd had many, many lovers who satisfied my basic, biological urges, but with Booth it's never been just sex. It's always so amazing, I mean every time has been just…mind blowing. But that night, that night was different, it was so much…more." Brennan was positively glowing now, and Angela actually started to feel a little jealous seeing how just remembering it was effecting her. "Angela, his mouth, his hands, it's like he knows exactly what to do, when to do it, to pull out the maximum amount of pleasure, to hold it for as long as possible, once I committed myself to us, once I gave myself over to him fully? I've never had orgasms last so long, I've never come so hard, never. At one point I lost count of how many orgasms he'd given me in a row and I was begging him, I-I didn't think I could possibly give him anymore but he told me I could, made me think I could and then he made it reality. I was so out of my mind then, the feelings he pulled out of me, I…I said things, told him I'd do things…"

"Like what? What did you tell him you'd do, I mean there's not a lot you don't do so I can't imagine what it was that made getting the tattoo seem like the lesser of two evils."

"Marriage, 2.5 Children, Converting to Catholicism, mass on Sundays, me as a stay at home mom with a house and that damned white picket fence, a dog in the yard. There's more I'm sure, that's just what I remember promising him." Brennan's unabashed look of resignation stunned Angela.

"Wow."

"Yeah. Wow."

Angela looked at Brennan again and a wistful smile crossed her lips.

"So the tattoo is the alternative or was it part of a package deal?"

"Well I'm not going to convert anytime soon, and I'm only going to attend mass on the Sunday's we have Parker." Brennan turned back to her work and continued talking to her friend who was beside herself with glee. "We're getting a condo in the city, no dogs for now, and it'll be a small church wedding. I'm thinking sometime next year, you're going to be my bridesmaid by the way, and we're only planning on having one child for now. Other than that, it's no big deal."

"Right. No big deal." Angela smirk broke into a broad grin. "So when does the tattoo come off?"

"In five years, after our third anniversary, or the birth of our first child. Whichever comes first." Brennan shrugged nonchalantly. "Like I said, Seeley has been very understanding."

* * *

_A/N: As always, feedback is welcome_


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